Broken
by Living People
Summary: This was inspired by Caitie, who metioned that Joren doesn't bend, he has to break. And, as it's about Joren, it's also very obviously KJ.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **Don't own, don't sue. All belongs to the almighty Tamora Pierce, although she's quite greedy, keeping Joren when she's already got a husband. This is dedicated to Caitie, who brought to my attention that Joren doesn't bend, has simply has to break.

**Chapter One:**

_Joren of Stone Mountain looked around the Chamber of Ordeal for an escape route. Coming towards him was Keladry of Mindelan, with nothing but breastband and loincloth on, whip in one hand, chains in the other. Finally realising that there was no way out, he screamed and screamed until he passed out._

* * *

_Two years later: _

He blinked and looked around. Many strange faces surrounded him, and he could hear a strange sound being repeated over and over.

"Joren? Joren? Joren, can you hear me?" Lord Burchard stared at his son, sitting up in bed, dazed expression on his face, messy white-blonde hair falling into crystal blue eyes.

"Um...excuse me, sir?" Burchard blinked at Joren, startled to hear him talk. "Who are you talking to? Who is Joren?"

"_You_ are Joren, Joren of Stone Mountain, my _son_. Don't you remember me? Don't you? I am your father, your _father_." The Lord of Stone Mountain was _desperate _for his son to recognise him.

"Joren?" the boy mused out loud. "Is that my name, Joren?"

The woman who had previously been bawling her eyes out looked over to where her son sat. "Joren! Thank the Gods you're awake and alive. Oh, Joren, darling." Once again, the waterfall of tears started all over again, and she buried her face into his clothes, hugging him tight to assure herself that he was real.

Joren was more than a little creeped out by this. A woman he didn't know had suddenly started crying all over him. He slowly pushed her away from him. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

The woman then proceeded to bawl all over again. _"Oh dear, what did I do now?" _Joren wondered to himself. "Um...is something wrong?"

The Lord of Stone Mountain glared at him. "Of course something's wrong, when you don't even recognise your own mother. Now, Joren, don't play games with me, tell me you remember us."

"But I don't remember you. Can you please tell me where I am, though?"

Duke Baird came over to them. "Oh, dear, it seems like he's lost his memory."

The woman paused in her ragged sobs to ask, "Can't you fix him? Make him remember?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. No mortal can change what the Chamber did. I would suggest you pray to the Gods." Duke Baird felt genuinely bad for Melissa of Stone Mountain, no matter how much he hated her. She was just a ditz, and she couldn't help being brought up the way she was. Lord Burchard of Stone Mountain, though...

"As for your question, young man, you are in the Healer's wing in the Palace of Tortall, in Corus. You do remember Tortall, right?"

"Tortall?" Joren looked confused. "What in the name of the Black God's Realm is that?"

"Well, at least you remember the names of the gods. That's a start. Tortall is the country in which you live. Come, now, though, you must be hungry. You can have your history lesson later, young Joren." Duke Baird gave Joren some clothes and led him to his office to eat. _The poor thing, _Baird thought, _he's going to be hated for things he can't remember, and judged for what he used to do and think. I can only hope that some people will remember that he has no recollection of the past and the forgive him and be nice to him._

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That's the end of the first chapter, and if you like, review!!! Please? Also, if you're going flame me, please don't be constructive; it'd just be a waste of time for you...it's not like I'm going to listen to you, you're flaming after all. :P I shall refrain from ranting this time... Byebye. Please review?

Come on, you know there's a reason for that little blue-greyish-purple button down there. Click on it!

Btw, yea, Joren went into a coma for two years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Well, I still think Tammy's greedy for not sharing, don't you?

And wow…it's been so long. Actually, anyone who wanted me to update, you should really thank Jinks, cus that was a very nice review, and I feel proud of my little baby…and so this chapter is dedicated to you.

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

"So…Stone Mountain. Finally decided to grace us with your presence, I see?" Neal smirked at Joren, one which Joren himself would have been proud of, if he could remember who the hell he was. When Joren just stared blankly at him, Neal felt angered for some reason, seeing that Joren would not rise for the bait. Well, he _could_ not, actually, but Neal hadn't quite come round to working that one out yet.

"Ah…yes, you must be talking to me," Joren replied, "I am the one they called Joren of Stone Mountain, am I not correct?" He asked Neal very politely, although Neal just narrowed his eyes and glared. _'What did I do?' _Joren thought long and hard, trying to remember what his relationship to this boy had been, but, alas, he couldn't even remember the boy's name.

Neal hated Joren all the more. '_What in the name of the Great Mother Goddess was Joren doing in his father's office?' _As if to resolve the issues of young Master Neal's mind, Duke Baird came back into the office with several records of Tortall's history, to help refresh Joren's memory.

"My dearest father," Neal drawled, "Care to tell me what _he_ is doing here?" The Duke of Queenscove sighed. _'This is going to take some explaining. And I don't think Meathead will ever come round to forgiving Joren for things he doesn't even remember he's done. I certainly hope the others don't take it nearly as badly as he is sure to.'_

"Nealan, sit down," Duke Baird commanded his son. "This may take a while, I believe. A drink?"

Neal looked at his father as if he were crazy. He sat, however, and stared at his father expectantly. "Alright, Neal. I may as well tell you now, seeing as it will be announced tomorrow morning. As you can see, Joren here is well and alive again." Joren got up and moved towards the door, sensing that he wasn't welcome in the conversation.

However, "No, Joren, don't go anywhere," Duke Baird requested, "it may be useful for you to hear this and see Neal's reaction to what I am about to tell him. It will certainly prepare you for what is to come when it is announced to everyone that you are well and alive tomorrow." He pulled a chair from the furthest corner of the room (the only other one in the office not cluttered by papers and books) and it scooted neatly under the table, right next to Baird.

Joren took the offered seat, and began to listen intently, yet pondering profoundly, hoping that some shred of his memory would come back to him. As he sat, deep in thought, he was interrupted by Neal's shriek, sounding somewhere between a scream and a squeal. Then, of course, came Neal's outraged bumbling and rambling.

"Do you expect all of us to just _forget_ what he has done, and think of him as, what, a complete stranger? To befriend him? _Help _him?" Neal was furious. He figured it was bad enough that Joren had awoken without his memory, therefore meaning that Neal couldn't taunt him, but the fact that his father expected him and his friends to _help_ Joren was just going too far.

'_Well, he certainly seemed to take that better than I thought he would. Thank Mithros for that, at least. Maybe the others will take this in stride then.' _Baird thought to himself, though he knew better than to count his chickens before they hatched. _'Maybe Neal is a blessing in disguise,' _he mused to himself, _'Mithros knows how Kel would take it, but, maybe upon seeing Neal's reaction, she would use her common sense and not judge Joren for something he no longer had any control over.'_

Neal continued his rant. "Don't you _remember_ what he did to Kel? To Lalasa? And he got away with it? Because he knew he'd have to do nothing other than pay a fine?"

"Then I take it you can inform Joren of what he has done in his past, Neal?" with that said, and the task of telling Joren what horrible things he had done delegated to his son, the Duke retired to his rooms to rest.

* * *

And now I will sleep, Neal rants to Joren or maybe a diary entry of his telling what happened that night. Yeah, I think I'll do that, a diary entry of Neal's, and one from Joren. That should tell the story well, and in different POV's, and I can also display their characters more, in case anyone thinks this is OOC. 


End file.
